Advertisement

Germans shun laser surgery for specs

Author thumbnail
Germans shun laser surgery for specs
Photo: DPA

Glasses manufacturers are benefiting from an increasingly old and sightless Germany. They are, analysts said on Monday, unexpectedly batting off competition from laser eye surgeons as specs become trendy.

Advertisement

Some 40 million Germans wear glasses – this is every second person. Among the over-60s, 93 percent own a pair of spectacles, while the majority of people over 40 have reading glasses. The average cost of a pair of prescription glasses is €342.

Despite relatively attractive offers from laser eye surgery providers, the number of people buying glasses has not dropped. This could be down to the fact that many people still occasionally require glasses after surgery.

Add to this the rising trend of frame-only "nerd glasses," whose function optician Günther Fielmann described as "an intelligence supplement" in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

The boom in eyepieces is not restricted to Germany however. In China too, the glasses industry is flourishing as the population becomes more affluent.

DPA/The Local/kkf

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also